Victories come in Unexpected Packages; CCC 2012

Cascade Crest 100 is done, completed.  I went into the run with loose expectations.  My training has been inconsistent but still focused.  Once I received the diagnosis, (see previous post) on my leg and learned that I am not doing any further damage to it by running....I decided I'd give CCC a go this year.  I have a bit of a battle going with CCC and so I didn't want another year to go by without facing the challenge of tackling CCC.  CCC 2009 was my first 100 and it was successful for me.  In 2010, I dropped and have always regretted it.  In 2011, I did not start b/c of the leg problems.  And this year I was lucky enough to get in and felt focused and motivated.  However, with inconsistent training and planning a WEDDING, I was feeling as though I need not put any pressure on myself and just run my best to my current abilities.  Who knows, I thought, I could surprise myself!  I was VERY lucky to have a pacer and crew this year as well.  And not just any pacer and crew, but the best ever I could ask for; Eric and Michelle Barnes and Steve Stoyles.

Owen was running his 5th consecutive CCC and was on track to get the silver belt buckle.  Also, he was running this one in memory of his dad who passed away 4/29/2012.  Owen's dad had been at every other CCC and so he dedicated this one to him.  He wore his dad's pin on his hat for the entire 100 miles!

Owen just before the start

And then we were off!  The Canadian and American anthems had been played and all the good lucks, hellos, and nice to see ya agains had been exchanged.  It truly is so good to see so many friends at the start of such a special event.

photo by Yitka Winn
We're off!

I started out slow as usual but by the time I got to the climb up Goat Peak, I was feeling warmed up and in a good space for the climb.  There is a lot of climbing in the first 20 miles that can be deceiving.  We all know the second half is difficult with the cardiac needles and Thorp Mt. but the first 20 miles have quite a bit of ascent as well.  I was feeling great.  Not pushing it too hard, just enjoying myself and talking to people, drinking a lot of water, eating at the aid stations and eating a gel every 30 mins just as I did at Umstead.  When I reached Tacoma Pass, mile 23, I saw Eric and crew.  They told me I was in 4th place.  I was surprised.  I looked at my watch and I had made fairly good time, about on pace as 2009.  I left that aid station and quickly came up to the 3rd place woman.  We exchanged hellos and I moved past her.  With a about 4 miles to go until the next big aid station, I caught up to the 2nd place woman, Missy.  We chatted and headed into Stampede Pass aid station (mile 33)  together.  At the point, Shawna Thompkins, last years winner and amazingly fast runner who would have won CCC came up to me and told me that she had dropped and that I had a chance to win, but to just run my own race and it'll all come together.  WOW, I was surprised and excited.  It was only mile 33, but I was feeling so good and as if I was reserving good energy for the second half and especially the last 20 miles.  So off I went with the support of Eric and the crew so happy to be running and feeling so good. I ran into Hyak, mile 53, with Missy and Chad from Vancouver, BC.  It was great running with them.  We had a good pace going but I was still feeling good.  We got to Ollalie Meadows, mile 47, and it was still light out.  I knew I was ahead of my 2009 times and was excited.  This year we had the rope section and the run through the tunnel.  That was pretty fun.

I got into Hyak and it was about 9:30PM, 11:30 hours of running so far and just 47 more miles to go, and with Eric pacing me and Michelle and Steve crewing, I knew I was in good hands.  Eric and I left Hyak at the same time Missy and her husband left.  So I was still in the running for a good place.  My stomach was a but wonky, but I figured that is usual.  I was drinking a ton of water and eating gels every 30 mins with extra food at the aid stations.  About 3 miles later I looked at my watch, it was time for another gel.  I opened up the package and tried to suck it down but my stomach wanted nothing to do with that.  I ate about half of it and turned to Eric and said, I don't think I can eat this, I feel sick.  So,  I just drank so water and continued to walk uphill.  I started feeling worse and worse and I could feel my pace slowing.  But every time I tried to exert myself, I thought I would throw up.  And soon I did.  I threw up a few times and figured that was it and I was good, I got it out.  Then a few miles later, I threw up a few more times.  When I got to the aid station at mile 63, I was still close to Missy and the 3rd place woman was just ahead of us.  So I was still in the mix and knew I would feel better but just told myself to be patient.  As we headed on the downhill to Lake Kachess, mile 68, I was feeling more and more sick.  I really could not eat anything.  I tried, but I couldn't get anything down. At the aid station, I tried to eat.  Michelle and Steve were there and were giving me good advise on what to try to eat and to take it easy to recover and try to get in some calories.  So I ate some animal crackers, soup, potato, etc.  Eric and I left there and within 200 yards, I was throwing all of that up.  Now I was getting a bit worried.  Without calories, how could I do this?  Eric reassured me that I just needed to recover and eat for the 5 miles of Trail from Hell.  Ok,,,,I'll try that.  Well, I must have pulled over 4,5 or 6 times to puke puke puke and puke again.  I was having a hard time getting up the climbs due to lack of energy/calories.  All that became important to me at the point was feeling better.  I knew my shot at a PR or top 3 was gone.  However, at this point, I felt so sick that all that mattered was getting through it and feeling better.  Eric was so kind.  He just sat with me as I puked with patience and kindness.  he kept reassuring me that I would feel better.  Whenever my breathing got out of control, he would stop and tell me to catch my breath.  I was moving so slow, a snails pace.  People we passing me left and right.  I was so out of it and then Eric suggested I lay down on the side on the trail in a space blanket to rest for 10-20 minutes.  At first I thought, no, let's keep going, but the more I got sick, the more I thought it was a good idea.  So I layed down in the dirt and feel asleep immediately.  Eric woke me up and said...let's try to make it to Mineral Creek aid station, mile 73.  He wold me we were about 2 miles away.  UGH, 2 miles!  I thought I could not do it, it was too far.  I stood up and within 1 minute was puking again.  I sat there and said to Eric, "Am I going to have to DNF here?"  He said, "That is your choice, but let's just try to make it to Mineral Creek".  Ok...I am going to try.  I knew I DID NOT WANT A DNF.  But seriously, running 2 miles felt like an eternity.  I sat there and had some words with Eric, he was just so supportive.  At this point Owen and his pacer passed us.  Poor Owen!  He was having respiratory problems and was suffering big time himself.  But I know him, he would continue as far as he could until and if he was pulled from the race.  They left.  Then some time later, Eric and I stood up and we moved forward.  And you know what, we made it.  Eric got me there with encouragement, patience and kindness.  We got there and Michelle and Steve were there.  I cannot express how lucky I was to have them there.  They nursed me back to life.  I had coke and broth and fell asleep again, for about 15 more minutes.  By now the sun was up.  So I said, ok, let's head out.  I was scared because I didn't think I would be able to exert myself and I would just continue to get sick.  But I had to see if I could do it.
We said goodbye to Michelle and Steve and headed up the hill.  I drank Dr. Pepper and tried to nibble on this or that and the next thing I know, we are at mile 80, No Name Ridge.  I was feeling optimistic that I was going to finish now.  We hit the cardiac needles and it was a **struggle** to say the least,  I had very little calories in me and exertion up the hills was tough.  We came up to Owen and his pacer. Owen had his hands on his knees and was catching his breath.  I knew he was going to have a tough 20 miles.  I rubbed his back and he told me to move on so we did.
Eric and I made it to through the needles and Thorp Mt.  It was so freaking hard.  I counted down the big climbs one at a time.  5-4-3-2-1.

Getting the yellow ticket at the top of Thorp Mt.

From this point on, it was just one step in front of the other and we moved onto French Cabin aid station, mile 88.  Only 12 more miles....only 12 more miles....  We headed down and then up and then ran some rolling hills, and walked, and caught breath....Poor Eric had hurt his leg somehow and was in some pain as well.  What a pair we were!

We made it to the last aid station, mile 96.  NO WAY!  I could not believe it.  Michelle and Steve were there.  They handed me a bottle, took my pack and said get going!  I looked at my watch and it said 28 hours and 4 minutes.  I turned to Eric and said,,,,let's try to get in under 29 hours.  So we ran, shuffled, walked, repeat until we hit the railroad tracks.  I cannot express the relief I felt that I had made it there.  It was by far the hardest thing I have done physically, mentally and emotionally, or at least that I can remember in a very long time.  I could not believe that #1) I was going to do it and #2) that it was almost over.  

Eric, always smiling and always positive, I couldn't ask for anyone better.

Just a few more steps and I am DONE

And what do you know, we crossed the finish line in 28 hours and 50 minutes.  All that suffering was over and all I could do was smile and be so tremendously grateful for Eric, Michelle and Steve, and all the other support I had along the way.

Could not be more thrilled

OMG! Relief!

Poor Eric, sore feet and a sore leg.

Owen finished in just under 31 hours and received the silver belt buckle.  He also had to pleasure and satisfaction of dedicating his race to his dad.

When I say that victories come in unexpected packages, I mean to say that I gained a great deal from participating and completing in CCC.  The first part of the race I was focused on a PR and a place in the top women.  But when that fell through the cracks, my race became about something else and I wanted to finish it.  Without the kindness and support of Eric, Michelle and Steve, I would have never been able to complete it.  I deepened friendships, deepened my sense of self and learned a new level of what it means to really dig deep.  I didn't know I had that in me and I am so grateful that I know now.  I hope some day I can reciprocate to Eric, Michelle and Steve.  

There were also a number of incredibly helpful and supportive people on the course.  Popping blisters, staying up all night, taking trash from runners, etc.  It's amazing that so many people come together to help others in accomplishing a goal.  Thank You Thank You Thank You....

Meralgia Paresthetica- You are a BEAST!

For anyone that knows me in the running community, you've no doubt heard me complain about my dumb leg.  I've been complaining about this leg thing for over 2 years now, about 2-1/2 to be more precise.  I've been to see some Dr's, tried many many things to help my leg heal but to no avail.  I was never quite sure how to help myself as I was never able to receive any sort of diagnosis.  With CCC100 approaching quickly and realizing I am simply surviving 4 mile runs with lots of walking, I figured it was about time to try to beat this thing again.  I was seriously debating dropping CCC like I did last year, but without a plan of action, it felt whimsical.  I was out on a training run with some friends and someone suggested going to see a certain PT.  I had heard of this guy before so I thought, we'll what the hell, I've tried everything else thus far, maybe thing guy can shed some different light on this.  I made an appointment with a different sports medical Dr. thinking I would get a referral for PT and perhaps maybe she had a fresh vision of a possible diagnosis.  I spend about 30 minutes with her and she told me I have meralgia paresthetica.  What is that????  I had never heard of it.  She explained it to me and this is what it is:

Meralgia paresthetic is a disorder characterized by tinging, numbness and burning pain in the outer side of the thigh.  The disorder is caused by compression of the lateral femoral cutaneous nerve.  It can lead to significant disability when the diagnosis and treatment is delayed or missed.  This condition is relatively common but it frequently mistaken for other disorders.  


She said she wanted to do one diagnostic test to make sure she was right. She saw the MRI I had done last year and saw that the hemangioma I had was the culprit of compression.  When I returned for my next visit, I had an ultra sound done.  She found the nerve, traced it up to the hemangioma and then pressed on the area.  I could feel the area where I generally have pain and the idea was that she would inject me with litacain which would release the nerve and then I would go out and run and see if I could reproduce the symptoms.  If I can't reproduce the symptoms then that is all the diagnostic testing she needs.  She could not shoot me up right near the hemangioma because most likely the hemangioma would be punctured and make me bleed in there so she opted to inject the litacain as close as she was able.  She thought that I might still feel some pain but mostly likely no in that area, but someplace else on my leg as the nerve was not being released right in the same spot it is compressed.  I had a 2 hour window period before the litacain injection wore off to get out and run, do burpees, stairs, hills, etc, anything that would generally bring me pain.  As I walked home to get my shorts and running shoes on, I was a bit nervous.  What if this is not it and I still don't know what is going on and have no solution?  I told myself to not get my hopes up.  I went out for a run and I did feel pain in other parts of my leg but not where I usually do.  I immediately felt more power in my leg and as though I had more range of motion, more strength.  It was amazing.  I did a bunch of burpees and jumps and still, no regular pain and much more power.  WOW...I felt optimistic again.  I report back to her this coming Monday and we go from there.  She thinks I will likely have to have surgery to remove the hemangioma.  It isn't an invasive surgery and the recovery time is just a few weeks.  I asked her the question that I was fearful of asking and to get an answer for....: am I doing more damage to myself by running with this?  She said....No....it's not an impact injury, it a nerve disorder.  Phew.  I had really been battling myself with that concept.

So the question is, do I run CCC this year, less than 1 month away?  I feel so under trained, I don't have many miles on my legs.  I have been cross training, but I'm limited in the things I can do with that.  I told Owen this morning that I felt so out of shape and under trained and he told me something interesting.  He said, "You are as fit as you can be for an injured person."  I thought that was wise.  It's true.  I'm doing all I can to stay fit IN CASE I run CCC.  A good friend and someone who said he would pace me at CCC said, "let's do it! let's have fun!  My new motto is 'do cray shit because we can!'"  So, I think it's a go.  If I finish in 31 hours and 59 minutes, I'll consider that a success.  And who knows, I might feel good for some of the way.

After CCC is the wedding and honeymoon in Kauai.  I can hardly wait for both of those things!  They are rapidly approaching and it has been a packed summer wedding planning and such.  When I get back from the honeymoon, then I will have surgery and recovery while my new husband takes care of me post-op.  Thanks husband to be....

Sun Mountain 50- BEAUTIFUL!

Sun Mountain 50 miler, with 50K and 25K options, is another fabulous Rainshadow Running event.  I feel so lucky to live here in the Pacific Northwest and to have so many great race options, especially from Rainshadow Running.  Their events are always top notch! This race is held in Winthrop, WA; a place I love to visit.  However, I hardly ever make it there and so this was a great excuse to get out there.  We signed up way ahead of time which was good thing in the sense that we probably would have never made it there if we didn't.  This month has been absolutely crazy and fitting in time for a 50 miler seemed absurd.  BUT...we had signed up so we were going. 

The race was on a Sunday which gave us Saturday to get over there (about a 4 hour drive) and hang out.  Winthrop is a fun western town.  We didn't have much to time to explore, but we saw bunches of friends we hadn't seen in a while and so that was awesome.  It gave us a nice reprieve from the on-goings in Seattle.  Owen's dad, with whom he was quite close with, passed away on April 29th.  The funeral was held May14th and the Memorial is scheduled for the 26th of May.  We are moving at the end of this month and why not just throw in a 50 miler 4 hours away.  Sounds reasonable??

Sunday morning we all gathered at the start.  The 50 miler started at 7 AM and the 50k started at 10.  It was so fun seeing friends!  (ALL PHOTOS TAKEN BY MATT HAGEN)

Sara Malcom, always good for a funny face

Gwen Scott and I all smiles right before the start

 I warmed up as usual to get things moving, boy do I feel my age in the morning sometimes!  Then we started promptly at 7.  James sent us on our way and everyone took off to the right, which was hilarious because the course actually went to the left.  There was some confusion and some laughs at the start that's for sure.
But within 30 seconds, we were all headed in the right direction.  I was excited about a day out on the trails and had no real idea of how long it might take to complete this particular 50 miler.  Last year the course was about 4 miles short because one of the markers was taken down and so that particular turn was missed.  This year, the course was perfectly marked, even a directionally challenged person like myself did not get lost. 

Confusion!

We got it right now

What can I say about the run?  It was beautiful, there were lots of flowers, the climbs were challenging, the trails were nice and bouncy, the course was really quite run-able.  I ran most of the day with Sara and Owen, probably 43-44 miles and then were got separated but still finished within 10 minutes about of one another.  The second to the last climb was up to the Sun Mountain Resort and around it.  Looks like a fabulous place to stay.  The very last climb at about mile 45 was tough.  It was long and quite steep and satisfying.  It led us to the top of Mt Patterson and then back down.  I thought the finish line was farther than it actually was, I love that.  I asked the woman who was pointing us runners in the direction we were to go and I asked her,; 'how much farther to the finish?' She respond, 'about 2 miles'.  So I was prepared for that mentally, but in fact I think it wasn't even a mile!  I love that!  I didn't need to eat that last gel I guess.  I wound up eating 19 gels total.  Foul, but it works!  I came in to the finish line in 8:41 and pretty happy with that time.  I think that might be a 50 miler PR for me! 

Beautiful course

A short ladder to climb over the barbed wire on the last descent

Coming down from the last climb

The view from coming down from the last climb

 Race results here: http://www.buduracing.com/raceresults/20120520_858.pdf#view=Fit

Link to Matt Hagen's fabulous photos are here: http://galleries.matthagen.com/Running/Sun-Mountain-2012/23111247_sVWCGm#!i=1860998203&k=dnNL4Rc

 On a whole other topic, my dad sent me this awesome little tidbit about dogs and I absolutely love it. My dog is a creature that I can learn a lot from.  In memory of Don Connell (Owen's dad) I thought I would post this for him.  In the 3+ years I knew him, I found him to be someone who tried hard to be the best person he could be.  I think the lessons we can learn from dog, (written below) are lessons that Don tried to live by. 

Don Connell

Why do dogs have relatively short lives? 

People are born so that they can learn how to live a good life -- like loving everybody all the time and being nice. Dogs already know how to do that, so they don't have to stay as long.

Lessons from Dogs:

Live simply

Love generously

Care deeply

Speak kindly
Remember, if a dog was the teacher you would learn things like:

When loved ones come home, always run to greet them

Never pass up the opportunity to go for a joyride.

Allow the experience of fresh air and the wind in your face to be pure Ecstasy

Take naps

Stretch before rising
Run, romp, and play daily

Thrive on attention and let people touch you

Avoid biting when a simple growl will do

On warm days, stop to lie on your back on the grass

On hot days, drink lots of water and lie under a shady tree

When you're happy, dance around and wag your entire body
Delight in the simple joy of a long walk

Be loyal
Never pretend to be something you're not

If what you want lies buried, dig until you find it

When someone is having a bad day, be silent, sit close by, and nuzzle them gently



There comes a time in life, when you walk away from all the drama and people who create it. You surround yourself with people who make you laugh, forget the bad, and focus on the good. So, love the people who treat you right. Think good thoughts for the ones who don't. Life is too short to be anything but happy. Falling down is part of LIFE...Getting back up is LIVING...







Reeling it in, at least trying to...

Umstead 100 was just about 3 weeks ago and recovery is slow going.  My diet is pretty much back to normal and my desire to return to my regular workout routine is there, but my legs are not.  I should say, my one leg is not.  I feel like Homer when I am running.
I've made some pretty dumb mistakes though during recovery so I have only myself to blame and more lessons to learn.  First big mistake was returning to my 5AM class 1 week after a 100M.  I specifically took it easy and hardly used any weight.  By Wednesday I was so sore I could barely walk, again.  So I took Thursday and Friday off from the class and did a short and pitiful run followed by a recovery swim.  Then on the weekend I did an easy run and some yoga.  I returned to my class, for the 2nd time, this week and was again conservative with the weights and I did indeed feel better and had a bit more pep.  But my running is still pitiful.  My right leg, the bum one, needs babying.  I can't make it on the 4 mile "dog jog" with Struth without stopping about every mile.  Usually I let Struth stop as much as he wants for the first 2 miles and then the last 2 miles we get into a steady groove.  But I am finding myself hoping he needs to make a pit stop for #1 or #2 so I can stop.  Oh boy.
I had a massage by the fabulous Leah on Wednesday and that felt awesome.  She said things were feeling good so I thought I was over the hump.  Yesterday, Thursday, I went to my 5AM class and found I was a weakling!  Before Umstead I was able to clean/jerk way more weight.  Now I can barely do much more than just the bar.  I was so pathetic that I could barely box jump too!  I could not get up on the box 2x during the workout and hit my shin in the same place each time.

This was just yesterday and today it looks even more rowdy.  Then, if I could be even more dumb, I met my friend at the trails for a 10 miler with Struth that same evening as the clean/jerk and box jump workout.  I was so pathetic!  I had a blast with Struth, but I could not even keep up with my friend so I let him go and Struth and I took it easy.  This morning I went swimming again.  Hoping for some trail running this weekend since it is supposed to be sunny and warm.  We'll see.
I am sure it'll come back but it seems like it's just taking a bit of time.  I was thinking this morning that as I was nearing the end of the training for Umstead and getting ready to taper off, I felt so ready to take it a bit easier.  I was feeling so tired from the training and perhaps getting a bit burned out.  The race went well and I was taking it easy and sleeping, hanging out with friends, eating ice cream and pizza, etc.  Then I felt ready to return to training and now that I am feeling a bit limited I realize how much I love to train (or am addicted to endorphins) and miss it.  That's a good thing and a good sign, so I'll take it.
In the meantime, Struth and I will take it easy on our runs.

Struth says.... take it easy, you are not spring chicken anymore!

Umstead 100- "Just a run in the park"

The trip down to North Carolina was a success!  It was great to see my parents and both Owen and I had a run that exceeded our expectations.  Umstead 100 takes place in a lovely state park and consists of 8 12.5 mile loops.  The nice thing about the loop course is that you get to see so many runners out there.  The runners and volunteers were very friendly, I met quite a few people out there and had mini-conversations.  There are 2 out-and-backs in a row so I was able to see lots of people from the front, not just from the back.  I got to see Mike Morton fly by me a few times on his way to breaking the CR with a smoking 13:11! I had just read the article on him in Ultrarunner Mag and it was awesome to see him tear it up.  I also got to see Ronda out there, another PNW face who also tore up the course!  The course is designed for first time 100 miler runners and as a result there was lots of camaraderie out there.

Umstead for me was the product of learned lessons from past failures.  It was my 5th completed 100 miler of 6 attempts.  My first 100 miler was Cascade Crest in 2009 and it was a good run for me.  I wasn't sure what worked and what didn't as I had nothing to compare it to.  Next up was Pac Rim 24 hour and I was insanely untrained to run a flat 24 hour loop course on gravel.  It beat me up and spit me out.  Then came Cascade Crest again and a DNF.  I had so many problems that day and didn't think I could get past them and so I dropped.  I regretted it even if Owen told me I did the right thing like 1 million times.  I hated the feeling of DNF-ing and did not want that to happen again.  Then came Pine to Palm 100 just 3 weeks later and I projectile vomited my way through the remaining 35 miles and hobbled to the finish.  A finish, but with problems that needed to be addressed.  Last year was Big Horn 100 and that too came with lots of throwing up and another poor performance.  That takes me to Umstead.  Thanks to a nutrition talk held at the Balanced Athlete by Justin Angle, I learned that what I was doing from a nutritional standpoint was, shall we say, counter-productive.   I was pretty discouraged from the past few 100's and thought I'd try some new tactics I learned from Justin.

On Friday before the race started, Owen, my dad and I went to registration to pick up our packets.  We were getting pretty excited!  It seemed pretty warm and that might play a factor especially since we trained in the freezing rain and snow for months on end.  I hadn't trained without gloves, hat, rain jacket since last YEAR!

I asked my dad to be my pacer, but he said no....

This section was part of the out and back that leads to the main aid station and most importantly, the finish line

Race morning we arrived and set up out little aid station for ourselves.  I had some extra clothes, headlamp and 48 power gels, one to eat every 30 minutes for 24 hours.  I figured I would break the 24 hour mark if all went well, but based on my past experiences, I could not feel 100% confident in that.  The gun went off, (literally) and off we went.  My plan was to start out slow, 10 min/mile pace and hold as close to that as I could for as many loops as possible.  I mainly wanted to stay consistent and not have my loop times be erratic.  Owen and I started out together and our plan was to run our own race and if we were together for parts, that would be a bonus.  How lucky are we to be a very similar pace!  The loops was spaced well.  The first 6.5 miles to the 2nd aid station had some rolling hills, most of which I ran or had some sort of combination of running paces and walking paces and then the second half of the loop as some steeper hills that I walked mostly and stretched my legs.  The 1st loop went well, we came in about a 2:07 or so.  My legs were not feeling super but I didn't feel it was b/c of the pace, just more of a not-really-feeling-warmed-up or ????. The second loop was similar and by the 3rd loop I felt I had a pretty good rhythm going.  I came in at the half way mark at about 8:48 to my surprise.  Owen and I were still running together for the most part.  He would get ahead, then I would get ahead, but pretty much we were running pretty solid and together.

(photo by Ben Dillon)
Although we don't look happy, we were!

We headed out for loop 5 and it was HOT!  The great thing about these loops is the there were 4 opportunities to get water.  I was drinking about 4 bottles a loop and every other loop I was filling my bottle half way with Pedialyte.  I was pouring water on the back of my neck and sucking down the water before I hit the next water stop. I was looking at my watch at this point and **trying** to do the math when we came in for loop 5 and headed out for 6.  Owen and I were at 11:10.  I thought, wow!  If we do each of the remaining loops at 3 hours a piece we would break 20 hours!  Then I kept second guessing my math because I had "100 mile head" going on.  Loop 6 went well, it was cooling off and I could tell I was chaffed in many many places.  We headed out for loop 7 and this is where we separated.  Owen gave me a "you got get it" and off I went.  Loop 7 was my slowest loop at a 2:37, I think.  As I headed out for the last loop, I looked at my watch and thought, whoa, if I hunker down, I can break 19 hours.  So off I went.  The nice thing about headlamps and rolling hills is that it's hard to tell it's a rolling hill in the dark.  Mentally that makes it easier to run them.  As I was approaching the last aid station, about mile 94-ish, I was looking at the sky because there were beams of light coming from it.  Is that lightening?  Yup, it was huge lightening, the kind that lights up the whole sky.  then the thunder began and I thought, I think I'm going to finish this off in a downpour.  They were giving out garbage bags to wear at the last aid station but I just checked in, grabbed some melon and headed out.  Within a few minutes there was a full on downpour with lightening and thunder.  This took my mind away from the final 5 miles.  As I headed into the last stretch I kept looking at my watch and was pushing it as hard as I could.  The 8th loop was actually 8 minutes faster than the 7th.  What???  I crossed the line in 18:45!  I could not believe it.  The volunteers were so great, they gave me a chair and a belt buckle with my splits for each loop.

I sat there and talked to some folks, I have no idea what I said, but everyone was so friendly.  Owen came through about a half hour later with a 19:18!  We were both blown away.  We though if we were having an epic day, we had a chance at getting in under 20 hours, but we were thinking more like 20-22 hours.  So we were both beyond pleased.  A big shout out to local Shannon Johnstone who killed it for her first 100 miler breaking 22 hours!

After Owen and were finished, we made it to my parents house and b-lined for the shower.  Holy cow, I was so chaffed that that shower was not even enjoyable.  I layed down and within minutes fell asleep.  When we got up the next morning, I hadn't realized that my parents had made a sign for us.

How sweet is that!  We were wrecked and my parents made us a huge breakfast with waffles, eggs and bacon.  I was hoping to not be so tired the remaining of the visit with them, but I was...they took great care of us with delicious meals in between naps.  Thank you Mom and Dad!

Umstead was a great experience in a lot of ways.  I met some new people, saw some old ones.  The race is very well put on.  What was significant to me was I felt as though I really learned from past mistakes and put my "failures" to good use.  At the time it didn't always feel that way, but being unsuccessful at achieving goals generally fuels my fire once I get over the disappointment.  I know I have much more to learn but for now, I"ll just sit back, recover and think about that next week.

The Effects of a Taper

ta·per  /ˈteɪpər/
verb (used without object)

1. to become smaller or thinner toward one end.

2. to grow gradually lean.

Adverb (used with object)

3. to make gradually smaller toward one end.

4. to reduce gradually.

Above is the definition of taper.  Let's go through and see how accurate these so called definitions are;
1) to become smaller or thinner at one end____if you are talking about candles or pants, that makes sense.  If you are talking about a person "tapering" for a sporting event, like myself, that makes no sense.  I simply have not gotten and thinner at either end....especially the REAR end. 
2) to grow gradually lean_____again, if you are talking about candles or pants, this makes sense.  But with regards to me, no I have not become any leaner, thanks to my love for baking and eating.....
3) this is too similar to the first 2 definitions so DITTO...to #1 and #2.
4) to reduce gradually.  Ok, this could touch upon my situation here tapering for Umstead, I am gradually reducing my running and workouts.  However, what it doesn't say in there are the some of these definitions:\
 

A) TO FEEL CRAZY



B) TO FEEL LIKE YOU'RE BOUNCING OFF THE WALLS

C) TO FEEL CRAZY

D) TO FEEL LIKE YOU SHOULD RUN AROUND IN CIRCLES FOR AN HOUR OR SO

But seriously....I am feeling quite energetic and contained at the same time.  My mind is going nuts at work like I have no attention span.  I **feel** like I won't be able to fall asleep at night yet I am asleep in less than 1 minutes after my head hits the pillow.  I am getting 8 hours of sleep and WOW, it IS true what they say about getting proper amounts of sleep.  I feel human again. 

This has been a fun journey, I look forward to see what I have learned this far (and paid attention to enough to make changes) and what I need to further learn.  

The RoadRunners, BEEP BEEP

Hee Hee, no jogging allowed.  We sure were disobedient.....we jogged on this here roadway by the Renton Airport as we were going around the south end of Lake Washington.  Not only were we disobedient once, but TWICE.  After Owen and I signed up for Umstead 100 we started to drum up some training plans. Umstead 100 takes place in a state park in Raleigh, NC.  My parents live about 15 minutes away so we thought we'd visit them and run 100 miles. The run consists of 8-12.5 mile loops with a total elevation gain of 9000ft.  This is very different from any 100M we have done, with the exception of PAC RIM 24 hours run, which we were ridiculously unprepared for, sadly.  In effort to not make that mistake again, we kicked around a few ideas about training runs.  Let's run the south end of Lake Washington!  Let's run at Lake Youngs!  Let's run 5 loops at Lake Youngs!  Let's do road runs!

I decided to keep a training log, something I never do.  I wanted to keep track of how many hours I spent training for this and how many miles I ran a week and how much I cross trained.  I realize this is hardly a new concept, but for me it was new.  It all started when someone gave me a goofy calendar.  I decided to make that calendar into something and so it began, my training log.

Training for a flattish 100M has been interesting.  I've put in more miles that usual, but probably not much more time.  It takes a lot longer to get in 25 miles on the trails than it does to get in 25 on the road.  But then the road beats me up and I feel as if I've run a hell of a lot longer.  I did more cross training than usual, ran plenty of 50k's, on the trail and on the road. I'm also planning my wedding, so fun things mixed in that take time as well. Let's see how it goes, Umstead is just a few weeks away.


The nice thing about going into Umstead is that pretty much, I hit my training goals. To name a few, we ran around the lake twice, and ran 50 miles at Lake Youngs.  The 50 miles went ok, we ran 3 loops with our friend John and he left us to run the last 2 laps dependent on our iPODS.  When we were running with him, he said, 'when you finish 5 loops, you'll be at about 47 miles, why don't you just run 50'.  I had of course thought of this but decided to stick it in my back pocket and pull is out as we rounded into the last turn of the last loop.  But it was now out of the bag.  It was a goal we had to attain.  As John left us, he said, 'while you guys are still running, I'll be taking a nap on my couch after my wife makes some soup for me and I pig out.' Thanks....thanks a lot.  Well, as we rounded the last corner of the last loop, I looked at my watch and it read 47+ miles.  Owen and I looked at each other, gave the nod and we kept running.  Within 2 minutes is was so dark that we could hardly see and our lights were in the car.  However I could see that the battery was getting low and I did not want the evidence of 50 miles to diminish before I could get a photo and send it to John.  So we rushed to the car, tried to find out lights but could only find a small pen light.  So basically we ran up and down this little road until we hit the 50 mile mark.  And literally, it was up and down.  We would run up, turn around, run down, turn around run up, repeat.....it felt like hill repeats after the long day but on fresh legs it probably feels like a bump in the road.  I kept trying to run fast so the battery didn't die, it literally was a race against time.  I heard the last beep signifying 50 miles and BAM, we were done.  Ran to the car to grab my phone, took a photo and phew....The evidence is all here!

The 2 runs around the lake were actually kind of fun, an adventure.  We have biked around the lake countless time and so it was interesting to run it.  The hills are felt much more on the feet than on the bike, that is for sure.
We started out going through the bike tunnel

Then headed over the I-90 bridge

To Bellevue

Next to the freeway.....

Following the bike trail

To the Renton Airport

Towards Seward Park

On the busy streets....

Following the speed limits....

Back home towards the bike tunnel

And, we're done!

It has been a pretty wet winter with lots of low level snow, so perhaps we would not have made it to the mountains as much as we have in the past. However, when we get back from North Carolina and the weather has warmed up a bit, I am looking forward to hitting the trails in the mountains again.  I've enjoyed these last few months of training and I am excited for Umstead.  I am also excited for some warmed weather and some trails.  Umstead here we come!